Times of Stress
by Sandileina
Summary: Niou and Marui are on a Mission. Yanagi is funding it. Akaya… hates his senpai.


**Disclaimer:** Why, yes, I do indeed own TeniPuri. Konomi Takeshi stole it from me. Rolls eyes Ha. I wish. xDD I laugh at myself in… muffinness. o.0

**Rating:** … PG? Maybe?

**Warnings:** I'm no good at warnings... Shounen-ai (if you really squint), language, Marui/Niou tagteam.

**Summary: **Niou and Marui are on a Mission. Yanagi is funding it. Akaya… hates his senpai.

**Author's notes: **I can't help it. The rabid puppy is just so tortureable! $.$ Rikkai needs more love.

This is for **Insanatrix**, who requested more Rikkai in her review of 'How to ask out Marui Bunta'.  Thanks, love. Hope you like it. And… forgive my ignorance, but what's FTW?

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_**9:43 am**_

Icy blue eyes gleamed. Violet eyes sparkled.

Green eyes looked suspiciously at his senpai.

"Marui? Niou-senpai?" the junior asked uneasily.

"Oi, that's Marui-_senpai_ to you," sniffed the self-proclaimed tensai. His eyes didn't stop sparkling.

Akaya waved his hand dismissively. "Pft. Whatever. Why're you here? Don't you have to go annoy fukubuchou, or something?"

"Nah," Marui shrugged. "He's visiting 'Mura in hospital. We figure he'll want the time to bitch about us to someone who actually cares."

"So we're here to help you with your tennis practice," Niou chipped in. Akaya really, _really_ didn't like the look on his face. Not that he ever did, but this was even scarier than usual.

Dropping his bag ungracefully on the ground, Akaya pulled out a tennis racquet, turning it in his hand until it was comfortable. "Since when did you go out of your way to help me practice? I would've thought you'd want to discourage me, in case I get better than you. Even though I already am," he sniffed.

"Since Yanagi offered me one of his nee-san's special ginger cakes for doing so," Marui smirked. He got up from where he was sitting on the metal spectator benches, leaping easily down to the ground. Akaya was really quite proud that he managed not to flinch.

"And I thought it might be nice to be nice once in a while," added Niou. Obviously lying through his teeth, the bastard.

Unnerved, Akaya put his racquet back into his bag. "I just remembered, I have to… work on my art homework instead," he invented.

Marui beamed. "Ooh, good! I like art."

"Even though you're no good at it," Niou sniped.

"I'm better than you are!"

There was a disbelieving snort. "Remember that drawing of Hiroshi that you did? It looked like a damn goat."

"That was on purpose!"

"You know when that sounds even less convincing? When you add, 'I'm lying' onto the end of it."

"Shut up. You're just jealous of me."

"Oh, that must be it! Hands up, everyone who wants to be a pink-haired sugar freak."

"Hey! We're here to annoy Kiri, not me!" Marui pouted. There was _nothing_ wrong with his hair, damnit.

Niou lifted a lazy eyebrow. "Well, you're not doing a very good job of it. He scarpered while we were arguing."

"… What!" Spinning around, Marui was dismayed to see that their kouhai had indeed done the smart thing and vanished. He scowled. "Oh, great. Why didn't you say something?"

"I'm here to enjoy myself. I'm not being bribed to do this," answered Niou, looking smugly amused.

Marui gave him a rude hand gesture. "C'mon, help me find him. If you were him and you wanted to hide, where would you go?"

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_**9:47 am**_

Just a few more metres to go… Just a few metres to safety. Panting, Akaya skidded round a corner, ignoring a startled nurse's admonition not to run in the hospital corridors, please.

He ran slap bang into an open ward door and fell flat on his back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry…! Are you alright?" asked the woman who'd been holding the door open. Akaya nodded hastily and scrambled upright.

"M'fine," he gabbled, dodging around her and practically diving at the door to buchou's room. He pushed it open with far more force than necessary and kicked it shut, panting.

Yukimura looked up at him, surprised. "Akaya?" His expression changed to concern as his favourite underclassman climbed onto the end of the bed, burying his face in the blanket with a whimper. "Akaya? What's wrong? Did Jackal confiscate your crayons again?" he asked, reaching forward to pet the curly hair reassuringly. "You know that's only for your own good."

"No," Akaya said, voice muffled.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Marui and Niou-senpai tried to help me with practice," he confessed, milking the moment for all it was worth and making his voice as pathetic as possible.

"Marui-_senpai_," Yukimura corrected gently.

"Yeah, him."

Akaya raised his head at the sound of a gentle chuckle from his buchou. "I can see why that would scare you," he said, obviously trying to be sympathetic, but really just finding the situation funny. Akaya pouted. Mura-buchou was meant to feel sorry for him and let him stay here for the rest of the morning and maybe let him buy some ice cream and…

"Buchou? Who're you phoning?"

"Hmm?" Yukimura looked up. "Oh, I'm just letting Marui and 'Haru know that you're safe here with me. They're probably looking for you."

"Whaaat? Mura-buchou! Don't! I wanna stay here! Please? Please? Please? I'll be quiet, honest," he pleaded. Puppy-eyes, check. Full-blown pout, check. Droopy shoulders, check and check.

Yukimura hesitated, weighing his small mobile phone in his hand. "Well, I'll ask Genichiroh if he minds," he said eventually. "He's just getting some coffee, so he should be back soon."

Oh, yeah, fukubuchou was visiting. Damn. "He won't mind if you don't mind, right?"

There was another chuckle, interrupted by the sudden ringing of Yukimura's mobile. He was startled into dropping it on the floor, and Akaya automatically reached down to pick it up for him.

**Niou Masaharu** flashed across the screen. Akaya froze.

"Aka-chan? Can I answer it, please?" Yukimura looked as though he could guess who it was. He looked way too amused.

"Um, it's just some… random… salesperson. Stalker. You don't wanna answer it, trust me," he said, trying unsuccessfully to muffle the ringtone with his hand.

"Aka-chan."

Scowling (before remembering to turn it into a pout), Akaya reluctantly handed over the phone. Yukimura gave him a smile and pressed the answer button.

"Ohayo, 'Haru. Yes. I think you really frightened him." Further pouting. "It's hardly surprising, really. Where are you? Ah, alright. Yes, I'll do that. Jaa." He terminated the call. Akaya breathed out loudly in relief.

As though on cue, the door opened and Sanada entered, carrying two polystyrene cups of coffee. Right behind him were Niou and Marui, Niou pocketing his small cell phone and giving Yukimura a welcoming nod.

"Though you might've run here, baby brat," he said conversationally.

Akaya instantly pushed himself up the bed up to Yukimura's side, ducking his head behind his shoulder like a shield. "Go away!" he growled. "I don't want help!"

"Aww, we won't bite, honest," Marui grinned, walking over and attempting to place a hand on Akaya's arm. "Well, I won't, but be careful of 'Haru."

"Ha ha. Such a wit, Marui."

Sanada had been watching the exchange with a somewhat nonplussed look on his face. Marui was quick to notice it, having been one of its main causes for a good couple of years, and said persuasively, "See, Akaya? You're annoying fukubuchou. Let's go and leave him and Mura in peace, hmm?"

"No," snapped the irate boy, slapping Marui's hands away repeatedly. "I wanna stay here. Mura-buchou doesn't mind, do you?" he entreated.

"_Yuki_mura-buchou," Sanada corrected, frowning.

"Yeah, that. It's Sunday. Please? Please? Please? OW!"

"'Haru, be careful," reproached Yukimura. He didn't really mean it, otherwise Niou would have instantly let go of his vice-like grip on Akaya's ear.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt him," Niou said reassuringly.

"Ow, ow, OW! Ow!"

Sanada put down the two cups on Yukimura's bedside table. "Out!" he barked, glaring. "You're making too much noise. Out!"

Marui scurried out hastily, still grinning. Niou followed, dragging a flailing Akaya behind him.

"I'll see you later," Yukimura called after them cheerfully.

"Alright," nodded Marui, giving him a wave. "Bai-bai."

"Later, fukubuchou," Niou added, pulling Akaya out of sight (who was now trying his best to bite him).

Sanada pushed the door firmly shut. He let out an exasperated sigh and sat down heavily in the chair next to the bed, rubbing at a temple. "What was all that about?" he asked resignedly. Just when he thought today might be headache free, too.

Yukimura smiled. "Oh, Renji thought it might be interesting to let Bunta and 'Haru look after Akaya for a day and give Jackal a rest. Just to see what would happen. I think Marui's carrying a recording camera somewhere on him. Renji said something about evaluating Akaya's strategy in times of stress, or something…"

"Sounds like him," Sanada grunted.

"Mm. I feel sorry for him, really."

"Hn. Kirihara deserves it. Might do him some good."

"Renji, I meant."

"… I think you've lost me."

"Well, what do you think Akaya's going to do when 'Haru _accidentally _tells him why they're doing this?"

"…"

"Exactly."

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Sandy: Ta-da! –Falls over- Oops. Pft. I'm on a ready-made icing high right now, so blame that, not me. -.-;;

Please review! I'll absolutely adore you for it. And doesn't Aka-chan deserve to know that at least his suffering provides some tiny piece of joy to somebody? Why yes, yes he does. Poor darling. Please soothe his pain. 

On a different note; I'm looking for someone to do a PoT roleplay with me over email. Just to get ideas and inspiration, yanno?  Unfortunately, I'm fairly picky people I rp with. I ask that you're able to type at least three sentences for a reply, and that you're… well, good. 0.- I don't know how else to put it, really. But if you're interested, then please let me know. The more the merrier! If I don't want to rp with you anymore, I promise to let you know –nods- so don't worry about that. –Cheesy grin- Any takers…?


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